I haven’t actively gone out of my way to listen to Jpop in years for reasons I’ll get to below. There’s definitely a grass is greener type element at play when it comes to my preferences too.

I’m quite aware of Japan’s huge music market. Japanese music is a huge part of why I came here way back when. What I’ve come to know though is that with the vast majority of Jpop songs, the person who does the composing also does the mixing, if any, which is a recipe for a horribly mixed song every single time. 🤦‍♀️ But sometimes with music, eh, none of that polishing really matters. A badly mixed song can still be a banger! But Jpop songs that top the Oricon charts aren’t usually what I’d consider “bangers.”

I don’t know too much about most of the artists on this weekly list (Japan’s Oricon music chart). These are just my opinions after checking out each video a couple times. It’s not meant to be super serious. 🙇‍♀️ My personal score is in green.

01. Hinatazaka 46 – Kimi wa Honeydew 3/10

There’s not much to the song, music video, outfits, or choreography. It’s a song for very young school kids that’s been done countless times before by all sorts of idols. I think the weird little instrumental part at 0:42 would have worked if they had a fun and colorful concept…think Mini-Moni. 3:42 – 3:47 stood out to me as being sort of jarring. This song is number one on the chart.

02. &Team – Samidare 6/10

Good vocals, and it definitely reminds me of Kpop? They’re under the Jpn version of Hybe (which is a company going through the wringer right now😬). The song and video aren’t my cup of tea, though.

03. The Rampage – CyberHelix 6.5/10

Okaaay, I used to be a huge LDH fan, so this was kind of fun to see. There’s harmonizing and their tones are good. Chorus is catchy and the rap isn’t cringey. 👍 I’m not a huge fan of the production or the choreography. Listen to 1:10 to 1:15… Why was that panning harsh white noise effect added? The song is full of unnecessary sounds like this that are either too loud or soft. I can see there was a lot of effort in the music video, but it still feels dated. It’s a shame because I DO like this sort of song.

04. Creepy Nuts – Bling-Bang-Bang-Born 5/10

This song has been all over the place for months, so I’ve heard it a lot. Extra points for bringing a Jersey club beat (like Uzi’s “Just Wanna Rock“) to an anime song instead of the usual pop or rock! These guys are talented, _{despite their ridiculous name}. It was fun the first few listens, but the quirkiness got a little annoying… 😅 Some songs grow on you, others do the opposite.

05. Aiko – Mutual Love 1/10

I’m rating this based off the probably irrational but visceral reaction I had upon first listen. Zero effort karaoke fodder. It’s a song for a Detective Conan movie, which I guess is appropriate.

06. ICEx – Birimi 2/10

What in the supermarket synth… I don’t even know if a better producer could have made this song sound cool. 01:45 to 1:56 layering random noises killed me. The yellow fits, choreography, music video… Another one that’s not for me. I guess their vocals weren’t atrocious.

07. Mrs. Green Apple – Lilac 5/10

Solid song, just too safe and plain for me to ever be interested in listening to again. The music video isn’t anything special.

08. Omoinotake – Ikuokukonen 5/10

It does sound like they tried with the melody and did something different, but it still somehow sounds extremely…familiar. The vocalist is definitely giving it his all! It’s giving me similar vibes to number 7.

09. Illit – Magnetic 7/10

New Kpop group. Sort of generic but still catchy dreamy girly pop. Unlike most entries so far, it sounds like they got a different person than the composer to do the mixing and they both have good ears. Definitely an easy listen though and pleasant. Also bed squeaking sound in the Creepy Nuts song? Fine. At 2:07? For this song with kids? WTF. 🙃

10. BE:FIRST Masterplan 7/10

I love the little “oh” adlib that almost sounds like that one Nelly song. Love the incorporation of that instrument (I don’t know exactly what it is. Shamisen?) The bass is almost there. Not a fan of the “I know it is our fate” lines. I do know that Be:First kills it on stage though. That being said, out of everything on this list, something like this is more up my alley because of its darker sound. 🖤

Final thoughts…

Pretty much what I was expecting. I think the other major issue I have with the average Jpop girl group or boy group besides bad mixing/mastering is the way they just roll with awkward vocals. Also, a song isn’t going to sound better just because you added random sound effects to fill in empty space… For me, all of this is something that a unique or different chord progression can’t make up for. Once I decided to do this post, I knew it’d be whiny 😭 I’ll try and do a future post highlighting modern Jpop songs I like!